Enzo Le Fee is available for Sunderland’s game against West Bromwich Albion, live on Sky Sports, after missing six weeks through injury.
The central midfielder, signed in January on loan from Roma in one of the most high-profile Championship deals of the window, suffered a hamstring injury against Hull City on February 22 in Sunderland’s only home defeat of the season.
But Le Fee is now in contention for Saturday’s lunchtime game at play-off rivals West Brom – live on Sky Sports+.
Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris says they will be cautious with Le Fee on his return ahead of the final seven games of the league season and a likely play-off schedule.
Saturday 5th April 12:25pm
Kick off 12:30pm
Le Fee has deputised on the left wing for much of the season, but may finally play in his favoured central-midfield role with Romain Mundle and Brighton-bound Tommy Watson fit after returning before the international break.
“I hope now that we will see him in midfield because this is his best position,” Le Bris said. “We’ll try to connect the other midfielders now.”
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Highlights of the Sky Bet Championship match between Sunderland and Millwall
Le Fee has scored once and set up another in eight appearances for Sunderland since arriving from Roma.
Sunderland, who are hoping to return to the Premier League after eight years away, are fourth in the table and 15 points clear of sixth-placed West Brom ahead of Saturday’s game.
Analysis: Le Fee return a game changer for Le Bris
Le Fee’s low-key limp off the pitch at half-time vs Hull told a tale not many spotted. He injured his hamstring earlier in the half but played on, somewhat restricted. Fans were taken aback to see him removed, questioning if it was a mistake.
He had started every game since signing up to that point, having featured just 10 times in his first six months at Roma. This caught up to him. But he’s back now. And, for the first time, able to play with Mundle.
So far, Le Fee has featured predominantly on the left wing, not his preferred position. Still, his quality shone away from the central areas he is used to taking up.
There was a moment in his debut against Burnley. He received the ball in his own half and let roll in front of him, deftly flicking it beyond Connor Roberts, before driving up the left flank and whipping with a ball with the outside of his boot that wrapped around the Clarets defence and found Wilson Isidor, who could only fire wide.
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Enzo Le Fee scored his first goal for Sunderland in style
He averaged 4.28 progressive carries (89th percentile), 2.67 carries into the final third (89th percentile), 3.08 passes into the final third (90th percentile) with 0.28 expected assisted goals (96th percentile) per 90.
His guile was shown defensively too, notching 2.94 tackles (96th percentile) and 1.07 interceptions (96th percentile); he embraced Le Bris’ aggressive off-the-ball style.
In a central role, Le Fee will have skill, pace and power ahead of him with Jobe Bellingham, Patrick Roberts, and Mundle.
Le Bris, the man who brought Le Fee through at French club Lorient, says central midfield is “his best position” and he plans to restore him to that role.
He added: ”With Enzo, we will have another option, a different style of play, maybe different connections, maybe we can open the rotation of the midfield, for example.”
Alongside Dan Neil (captain), Chris Rigg, and Bellingham, Sunderland have four elite centre-midfield options for the play-offs. And come May, Le Fee might be the biggest game changer of them all.
